What workers' comp costs concrete contractors in Tallahassee, Florida
Leon County has 22 concrete contractor businesses. Class 5213 is $5.184 per $100 of payroll in 2026; a 4-person Tallahassee crew runs about $9,694 a year.
Concrete businesses in Leon County
The Census Bureau counted 22 poured concrete foundation and structure contractors (NAICS 238110) establishments in Leon County in 2023, with 180 paid employees on their payrolls.
That is 1.2% of the 1,804 such establishments statewide, and the eighth highest count among the nine counties that hold the ten cities in this guide series.
Annual payroll at those firms works out to about $46,767 per employee, which is the number that drives a workers' comp premium.
Within Tallahassee's own postal ZIP codes there were 15 concrete contractor establishments in 2023.
Of all construction businesses in Leon County, 3.1% are concrete contractor firms (22 of 705).
For concrete contractor firms, Leon County's average pay of $46,767 sits above Lee County ($44,807) and below Palm Beach County ($54,692).
Cement masons and concrete finishers in the Tallahassee area earned a median $20.95 an hour in May 2024 (BLS), with 170 employed; the Florida median was $22.34.
At that metro median, one full-time worker earns about $43,580 a year, which adds roughly $2,259 of class 5213 premium.
2026 Florida class codes and rates
| Class | What it covers | Rate per $100 payroll | FWCJUA minimum premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5213 | CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION NOC. | $5.184 | $2,900 |
| 5221 | CONCRETE OR CEMENT WORK | $3.873 | $2,900 |
Rates are the 2026 Florida manual rates published by the FWCJUA, matching the standard filing approved by the Office of Insurance Regulation for policies effective on or after January 1, 2026.
Worked example for a Tallahassee crew
A Tallahassee shop with 4 field employees at the county's average pay reports about $187,000 of class 5213 payroll.
At $5.184 per $100, the manual premium is about $9,694 a year, or about $2,424 per employee, before your experience modifier, credits and fees.
If the business were placed in the FWCJUA instead, the 2026 surcharges of 93% (Tier 1) and 183% (Tiers 2 and 3) would put the same payroll at about $18,710 or $27,434.
The same crew doing only flatwork in 5221 at $3.873 would be about $7,243.
The experience modifier then moves that number: at a 0.85 mod the Tallahassee crew would pay about $8,240, and at a 1.25 mod about $12,118.
This is an illustration built from public averages, not a quote.
Class 5213 manual premium by headcount at Leon County average pay
| Employees | Annual payroll | Manual premium |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $47,000 | $2,436 |
| 3 | $140,000 | $7,258 |
| 4 | $187,000 | $9,694 |
| 10 | $468,000 | $24,261 |
| 20 | $935,000 | $48,470 |
How concrete contractors are classified
Concrete payroll usually sits in two classes. Structural work, such as foundations, tilt-wall, columns and elevated slabs, is 5213 at $5.184 per $100. Flatwork, such as driveways, sidewalks, patios and slab-on-grade floors, is 5221 at $3.873. The difference is meaningful, so a contractor doing both should track each job by type. Pump-truck operation and ready-mix delivery have their own codes.
Usually included
- Foundations, footings and columns (5213)
- Elevated slabs and decks (5213)
- Driveways, sidewalks and slab-on-grade floors (5221)
- Forming and finishing crews
Rated separately
- Concrete pumping operators
- Ready-mix delivery drivers
- Clerical staff (8810)
At audit
- Track structural pours (5213) separately from flatwork (5221) job by job; the rate gap is large enough to matter at audit.
- Pump operators and ready-mix drivers are classified apart from the finishing crew.
Permits and licensing in Tallahassee
Concrete businesses working in Tallahassee pull building and right-of-way permits for foundations, slabs and driveways through the City of Tallahassee Growth Management, Building Inspection Division, and Florida law makes proof of workers' comp coverage or an exemption a condition of getting a building permit.
Tallahassee runs its permit process fully online: building, land-use, environmental and fire reviews all go through the city's Customer Permit Portal, managed by the Growth Management Department's Building Inspection Division. As the state capital and home to Florida State University and Florida A&M University, Tallahassee has a large share of government, university and institutional construction, where general contractors routinely ask every sub for a certificate before mobilizing. The Big Bend also sees tornadoes and inland tropical storms, including Hurricane Hermine in 2016 and the May 10, 2024 tornadoes that hit the city.
Construction owners in Tallahassee are often public: the State of Florida, Leon County, the city, the universities and the hospital systems. Public owners tend to require formal certificates, certified payroll on some projects and clear documentation of every subcontractor's coverage. The private market is smaller than in South Florida and leans toward single-family homes, apartments near the campuses and light commercial work. Lower volume means many contractors cover a wide area across the Big Bend and into South Georgia. The City of Tallahassee owns its electric, gas and water utilities, so service connections and utility coordination run through the city rather than a private provider. With state agencies, two universities, a community college and regional hospitals all building or renovating, public-sector schedules and budget cycles have a visible effect on when local crews are busiest.
- Public and university projects often require certified payroll and strict certificate tracking, so audit records tend to be cleaner and better documented.
- Hard clay soils and tree canopy add excavation and tree-strike exposures on residential sites.
Common claims for concrete contractors in Tallahassee
Tallahassee concrete crews pour foundations and slabs for homes and apartments, and structural work on institutional buildings. Inland concrete crews pour mostly slabs and foundations for new homes and warehouses, with heat and back strain as the main risks.
- Back and knee injuries from screeding and finishing
- Chemical burns from wet cement on skin
- Struck-by injuries from pump booms and formwork
- Falls from elevated forms and decks
- Heat illness during early-morning pours that run into midday
What to have ready for a Tallahassee concrete quote
- Payroll for your Tallahassee concrete work, split by class (5213, 5221) and with office staff listed separately
- Certificates or exemptions for every sub on your Tallahassee jobs, checked in the Proof of Coverage database
- Three years of loss runs for the concrete business, plus your current experience modifier if you have one
- Recent permits pulled with the City of Tallahassee Growth Management, Building Inspection Division, which show the volume and type of Tallahassee work
- Any jobs planned outside Leon County or outside Florida this year, so the policy covers them
Get a workers' comp quote for your Tallahassee concrete business
Send your payroll by class and your loss runs, and a licensed Bright Coast agent will shop the carriers writing concrete contractors in Leon County. Certificates can be issued the same day for qualified accounts.
Questions from Tallahassee concrete contractors
How much is workers' comp for a concrete business in Tallahassee?
About $2,424 per worker per year in manual premium, if your pay matches the Leon County average of $46,767. That comes from the statewide class 5213 rate of $5.184 per $100 of payroll; the location inside Florida does not change the rate.
How many concrete contractor businesses operate in Tallahassee?
The Census Bureau's 2023 ZIP Code Business Patterns lists 15 concrete contractor establishments in ZIP codes with a Tallahassee postal address, out of 22 across Leon County and 1,804 statewide. Each of them needs workers' comp once it has an employee, so a current certificate is part of almost every Tallahassee bid package.
Where do concrete contractors in Tallahassee get permits, and is proof of coverage required?
Permits inside Tallahassee come from the City of Tallahassee Growth Management, Building Inspection Division. Concrete contractors in Tallahassee work under a state certified or registered license from the Florida DBPR. Because concrete is construction work, coverage is required from the first employee, and the Tallahassee permit staff can look your policy up in the state database.
What records keep concrete payroll in the right code?
A job log that notes whether each pour was structural or flatwork, with crew hours by job. That lets the auditor split payroll between 5213 and 5221 instead of placing all of it in the higher-rated class.
What do state and university projects in Tallahassee require for workers' comp?
Expect to provide a certificate naming the owner or the general contractor, proof that every sub is covered or exempt, and sometimes certified payroll. Public owners also verify coverage in the state's Proof of Coverage database, so the policy and the exemptions on file have to match what you submit.
Can the owner of a Tallahassee concrete company opt out of workers' comp?
In construction, up to three officers of a corporation or LLC who each own at least 10% of the company can file for an exemption with the Florida Division of Workers' Compensation. The exemption covers only those officers. Every employee still has to be covered, and working without coverage can bring a stop-work order and a penalty of twice the premium that should have been paid over the prior two years.
Sources
- Florida DBPR, Construction Industry Licensing Board
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 (metropolitan areas and Florida)
- U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Business Patterns 2023 (establishments by size class, ZIPs grouped by postal city)
- Florida Statutes, Section 440.103 — Building permits; proof of workers' compensation coverage
- Florida Workers' Compensation Joint Underwriting Association, 2026 rates and minimum premiums by class
- Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, Commissioner approves 6.9% workers' compensation rate decrease effective January 1, 2026
- FWCJUA, Bulletin 25-9: 2026 Tier 1, 2 and 3 surcharges
- U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 (establishments, employment and annual payroll by county and NAICS)
- Florida Statutes, Section 440.02 — Definitions (employer, construction industry, corporate officers)
- Florida Statutes, Section 440.05 — Election of exemption
- Florida Statutes, Section 440.10 — Liability for compensation (contractors and subcontractors)
- Florida Statutes, Section 440.107 — Compliance, stop-work orders and penalties
- Florida Division of Workers' Compensation, Proof of Coverage database
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census population, QuickFacts
- City of Tallahassee, Growth Management — Building Inspection
- NOAA National Hurricane Center, Tropical cyclone climatology (Atlantic season June 1 – November 30)
Reviewed 2026-10-13. Rates and figures are for illustration; a quote depends on your payroll, classifications, experience modifier and carrier.